


Your love (is my favorite blend of coffee)

by namidahime



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Interactive au, Love at First Sight, M/M, Wooyoung is a barista, Yunho runs a blog, coffee shop AU, just boys falling in love with each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:47:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26445838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namidahime/pseuds/namidahime
Summary: Prompt:Soft coffee shop au in which Yunho takes it upon himself to review every coffee shop in Seoul, on his journey to find the best iced americano he meets someone sweeter than the cake they offeror: an au where Yunho runs a blog in which he rates coffee shops all over Seoul based on their iced americano. Who would have thought that would lead him to meet a man with a tongue much sharper than Yunho's?
Relationships: Jeong Yunho/Jung Wooyoung
Comments: 7
Kudos: 29
Collections: RARETEEZ





	Your love (is my favorite blend of coffee)

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [AteezRarePairFest2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/AteezRarePairFest2020) collection. 



> This is an interactive au wherein you can enjoy this story on its own, or see both sides of the story by reading Yunho's blog entry as well. Either see his blog [here](https://yunhoscupofcoffee.wordpress.com), or click on the corresponding link throughout the story to get straight to the relevant blog entry.

Being a university student wasn’t easy. For a lot of reasons, Yunho even hated it from time to time. If only his parents would accept his nonexistent interest in everything academic. His life would be so much easier.

But being a young adult in an economy driven environment, there wasn’t much to do about it. And therefore Yunho had not even thought twice and had taken the university entry exam like everyone else. Much to his surprise, he had not been as bad as he had expected. Which in return, had been a delight to his parents. With the rather good results came the enrollment at university.

Hongik University was a respected university with a well-funded research department that seemed to offer endless opportunities to students. He had enrolled in Computer Science and Engineering. And while the first term had been fun, latest after his first mid-term exams he had been well sobered up. And that’s how Yunho came to be a student like everyone else. Sleep-deprived and constantly confused as to why he was even enrolled when every day seemed like sheer torture.

Only the fact that his parents were paying for his schooling and living expenses had kept him enrolled for the first year. Yunho had quickly found a nice friend group and after getting used to being a student he had even learned to love coding. So that was that.

His grades went up and with it his coffee consumption. Courtesy of sleepless nights and studying for exams till the whee hours of the morning led him to believe coffee and his mother's kimchi were the only two things keeping him alive.

The thing is, when one depends on a thing so much, they eventually turn very sensitive about it. Coffee had long turned into a comfort drink for him. Therefore Yunho had gotten very conscious of the fact that good coffee beans did not equal good coffee. Whenever he was at home and felt a little lackluster, coffee had been his go-to drink. On cold days nothing had felt better than the warming effect the dark liquid had on his body. And living in a city like Seoul, with its countless coffee shops, he never had to go a day without a cup. Or two. Or more.

Whenever he was at home, he enjoyed the simple task of preparing himself a cup. It was utmost relaxing to take a break from coding and leaving his laptop screen behind for a few minutes. He’d get some beans out, grind them and prepare himself a nice hot cup of hand dripped coffee.

In theory, this was the utmost happiness. At least in winter. As summer approached Seoul with big steps and even early May felt like August already, the last thing on Yunho’s mind was a warm cup and even hotter coffee. Blessed as he was, Yunho had a container filled with ice cubes at any given time and never had to fret. He thought so at least. As he woke up in the middle of the week with his room hot as lava, despite it only being June, he knew it was time to drop his morning routine of a freshly brewed hot coffee for good. It was time to crank up his barista skills and prepare an iced americano to start his day with.

Yunho would describe himself as an ordinary guy. He’d say he was rather average when it came to his looks. As he tended to always have the same hair color and style, barely ever wore anything other than jeans, shirts, and a hoodie and had a rather generic sense of humor. He had a handful of friends he enjoyed hanging around but mostly kept to himself to focus on his studies. It wasn’t as if he had a lot of time to meet with them, to begin with.

One of the many reasons why he had hardly time for anything, was because he tended to go to a coffee shop almost every day to study in peace. His tiny apartment had thin walls. So thin he could hear his neighbors music as if he blasted it himself. A coffee shop though brought the right amount of quiet loudness he needed to concentrate. He had a few shops he frequented a lot. Whenever he’d pass a new coffee shop he hadn’t visited just yet, he tended to hop in and grab at least an iced americano to go.

It was exactly this kind of activity that eventually lead him to stumble into a new coffee shop he found on his way to the subway station. It was not more than a hole in the wall. But the counter and kitchen looked modern and clean. Which was reason enough for him to halt in his steps to give the menu a closer look. They didn’t offer a lot. Yunho couldn’t even make out the shop's name properly but that didn’t matter anyway. They offered iced americano and that was Yunho’s favorite drink and therefore this was all that he was even interested in, to begin with.

For the low cost of 2.500 Won, Yunho would soon get to sip his iced beverage of choice.

The barista, if he could even be called one as he seemed not older than a university student in his first year, was slow at work which gave Yunho time to check his kakao talk chats. But since it was late and most of his friends were either out for food and drinks, or working their part-time jobs, nothing exciting was going on. So after a brief glance, he locked his phone again and let his eyes roam the tiny space. As the barista finally handed the plastic cup over the counter, Yunho felt like he had seen every nook of the tiny shop. He gratefully told his thanks and took the cup.

Yunho took a few steps away from the coffee shop to stand closer by a nearing shop window. As the streets were pretty packed despite the late hour, he wanted to be out of the way and not rush the first sip of his coffee. The first thing Yunho noticed about it, even before he got to wrap his lips around the paper straw, the coffee was only moderately cold despite the humongous amount of ice that the cup was filled with.

Maybe the barista had simply meant to emphasize the fact that Yunho had asked for an iced americano but even for his standards, this was a lot. The liquid was a little murky, a little too dark for something Yunho would usually call an iced americano, but he took a sip anyways. A watery, bitter liquid hit his tongue after the first suck. Now Yunho had the chance to try and drink a lot of different coffee in his life. Strong ones, mild ones, bitter ones but this? This did outright not even taste like coffee. This tasted like burnt mud over ice cubes, elongated with additional water.

For a moment Yunho let up from the straw to give the clear cup a closer look. Was this truly meant to be what he had ordered? He gave the cup a careful swirl and the muggy water moved with the motion. Atop had already formed a layer of melted ice cubes that did not mix with the rest, while on top Yunho thought to see a film of something oily. For a moment he debated with himself. Should he truly give this another sip? Would his taste buds fall off? Was it possible that another sip would forever ruin his favorite drink for him?

As the tattoo on his best friend's chest ever so often reminded him, he only lived once. So Yunho closed his eyes, wrapped his lips around the straw once more, and gave it a hearty suck. Maybe now that he had mixed his drink a little, it would taste better.

For the low cost of 2.500 Won Yunho got to drink the truly worst coffee he had ever experienced in his 22 years of life.

As Yunho fell into his bed that night, it felt almost like he got mocked by a cup of dark, muddy liquid staring right back at him from all the way over at his kitchen counter. He had given the now officially declared worst coffee of his life, a few more tiny sips on the subway ride home. Just to see if it really was as disgusting as he had first thought it would be. But no matter what, his opinion did not even swerve one bit. At one particular disgusting sip, where he could have sworn he even felt ground coffee remaining on his tongue, he must have made such a funny face that the woman opposite of him on the subway had to hide her grin.

This was truly the worst. And now it was even mocking him. Was he weak? Was he too spoiled maybe? Or was this truly coffee straight from hell?

Maybe it had just been the barista. Maybe it had been a mishap. Yunho would not judge the coffee shop after just one visit. So he told himself. Therefore after a good night of wholesome sleep, the coffee still sitting at his countertop, he decided to go back to the place of his nightmares. Maybe if he’d just give it another try, things would be different.

Upon his arrival, he was relieved to see that another barista seemed to have the early morning shift. And judging by the few students lining up in front of the counter that directly jutted out onto the street, last night's coffee must have truly been a mishap. Why should all those people stand in line otherwise and voluntarily pay for coffee straight from hell?

He went through the process of ordering, handing his 5.000 Won bill over and receiving his change, waiting patiently, and happily accepting the plastic cup from the barista. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Everything seemed fine, perfectly even so. And in hindsight, Yunho should have questioned that maybe.

It took him three steps to get a little off the sidewalk and stand in front of a shop window, shielded from the early morning sun and his ice cups sloshing around his drink. Everything seemed peaceful and right. The drink in his hand felt cold, not too much ice, the liquid not too dark. He was sure, he had judged them too quickly. It must have been his exhaustion last night for sure! He wrapped his lips around the straw, gave the seemingly perfect coffee a hopeful, excited sug…

… And for the low cost of 2.500 Won Yunho got his perfect morning ruined by a coffee as bitter as his disappointment.

Yunho gave the text in front of him a critical once over. It was short. Was it maybe too short? He was really not good at this. Therefore he pulled up a new tab on his web browser and searched up other lifestyle blogs to compare his text too. Maybe it had been a shit idea to try and run a coffee blog. He was definitely not suited at all to write. Would even anyone be interested in his opinion and what he had to say?

The most blogs that came up with his research, seemed to be run and written by housewives. And within the next two hours, Yunho lost himself between heated discussions of vegan kimchi recipes and how to get gojuchang stains out of shirts. As his eyes landed on the clock the next time, the numbers already showed that it was way past dinner time. Had he truly just spent all this time on blogs his mom would enjoy?

He quickly saved his blog post as a draft and shuffled to the small kitchen. That kitchen was more of a kitchenette squeezed in-between a small slot that was situated between his entryway and bathroom, than anything else. In addition, his bedroom was cut off by a glass sliding door that gave him at least the feeling of some privacy. The apartment may be tiny but it was his and that was all that mattered.

A short glance into his refrigerator told him it was another day of kimchi jjigae and rice. As it was convenient and not hard to cook at all, he had perfected it by now. While the water came to a boil, he threw the little pack for kelp broth into the pot. This way it would taste less bland and he would not have to add too much seasoning in the end. Not as if it was a must, but he preferred it this way. As he pulled the kimchi container out of the fridge, a sad and lonely onion came into view. Not to let it rot there, Yunho grabbed it as well.

Cutting the onion as well as the kimchi was quick and easy. As was removing the kelp broth bag that reminded him of an oversized tea bag. He added the onion and kimchi and gave it a quick stir. „Time to heat up my rice." Yunho murmured to himself. Bless him for cooking too much rice the other night. Now he could easily heat it up in the microwave and within the next ten minutes, his dinner would be done. All that was left was seasoning his stew.

After adding some soy sauce and chili flakes to the already deeply red soup, he felt like skipping out on the extra kick of spiciness that would have come with adding chopped chilies. Instead, he added some sliced spring onions he had laying around his fridge for more days than recommended. Yunho gave his stew a short taste test as he wasn’t too sure if the kimchi may have been too sour already and therefore required some sugar to balance it out.

The stew tasted just fine, so after plating everything he returned to his desk that both functioned as his place to study and eat. He got comfortable in his seat. His dinner was smelling delicious if only he would have had some tuna or rice cakes to add to the stew. It would have been even better. Now all that was left to do, was to find something on Netflix to watch.

He stared at his still-open laptop screen and it was like the words were staring right back at him.

Congratulations! Your blog entry was successfully posted!

Maybe there was no turning back now…

[Yunho’s cup of coffee - The Journey](https://yunhoscupofcoffee.wordpress.com/2020/09/13/the-journey/)

Yunho had a small group of people he truly considered his friends. Some of them were friends from university, friends he had met through other people and friends he had mostly made by accident. One of them was Hongjoong. He was a barista in a coffee shop Yunho used to frequent a lot. Back when he had been dating one of Hongjoong’s colleagues at that time. So one could say Hongjoong fit more than one category.

If there would be any good places to start his coffee journey at, it would be the coffee shop he most probably knew best.

That’s how he found his way to a coffee shop chain on friday evening after classes. Hongjoong had just finished his shift and the two of them were hanging back together to talk for a while. Hongjoong had brought him a fresh drink as he joined his friend at a table in the corner.

„You know, you sound like Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love when you talk about this coffee journey of yours.“ Yunho had barely finished retelling the story of how he came to his decision to start a review blog on Seouls coffee shops, and Hongjoong was already judging him. Yunho gave a gruff huff over the rim of his glass. His iced peach green tea was sloshing around with the motion. „Sometimes I ask myself where that broad knowledge of foreign films comes from.“ Maybe Yunho’s reply was a little muffled as he spoke it more into his cup than into Hongjoong’s direction.

Yunho had no idea what the plot of the film Hongjoong had mentioned was about. But the title sounded like something meant to be desperately therapeutic. Was this how Hongjoong felt about Yunho's struggle? „I told you, I was watching a lot of movies in an attempt to get better at english. That’s where my broad knowledge is from.“ Hongjoong sounded a little too smug for someone who had just admitted to being bad at something. „And you are sure about this blog idea? I mean, it’s almost like you’re putting coffee on a pedestal.“ Yunho gave him a raised eyebrow in reply and Hongjoong immediately lifted his hands as if to declare defeat.

„I accidentally posted the first entry already. And I even received a few comments from people. I mean, I think they are all around my mothers age judging by their perfect use of grammar, but a reaction is a reaction.“ The tone in which he explained himself was a little sheepish. It was Hongjoong’s turn now to raise an eyebrow at his friend. „So you got yourself a fan club full of women looking for the perfect iced americano.“ Hongjoong summarised before he took a sip of his drink.

„Exactly.“

„Exactly,“ Hongjoong parroted.

For a moment they fell quiet. Simply looking at each other to gauge the others' reaction.

Hongjoong gave a grave sigh before he gestured towards the notebook in front of Yunho. „Ok so tell me, how do you plan to run this blog of yours?“ Despite his suspicions regarding the whole blog thing, Hongjoong, as a barista himself, was deeply interested in how Yunho would categorise the coffee he was reviewing. Yunho opened his notebook, just to reveal mostly empty pages. It seemed exactly like Hongjoong would have expected it. His friend had not thought this through at all.

As Hongjoong simply raised an eyebrow at the few scribbled and crossed out words, Yunho pointed his pen at him, ready to defend himself. “Ideas don’t come out fully formed , they only become clearer as you work on them. You just have to get started.” Yunho shot out proudly. He was definitely not as good with quotes as his friend, but he had heard this Mark Zuckerberg quote at least 100 times and therefore remembered it well.

It was comical, the way Hongjoong’s eyebrows disappeared behind his fringe. „You have no criteria yet but at least you quote Mark Zuckerberg well.“ They fell quiet again before Hongjoong settled his glass down onto the table and started to dictate Yunho a few points in earnest.

If his friend wanted his coffee blog not to be a waste of time, he had to at least give the people some interesting facts about the coffee he tasted.

Hongjoong stretched his hand out to grab at Yunho's book and pencil. "How about a rating system?" He asked as he started to draw a few little stars into a neat row. "Aiding visualizations help customers and, in your case, your readers, to quickly check your opinion based on different criteria." He proceeded to pull up different categories and added a row of stars to each of them before he turned the notebook so Yunho could read it better.

"Wow, that's pretty much me in a nutshell." Yunho's voice sounded amazed by just how well Hongjoong had pointed out the most crucial criteria for Yunho. "I know you very well after so many years of friendship. And it's not like you wouldn't have whined about what you hated most about bad coffee before." Hongjoong sounded proud. And Yunho had to agree he had been whining a lot about atrocious coffee experiences in the past. So maybe it wasn't all too surprising that Hongjoong knew him well.

He'd try to put Hongjoong's good idea to use tonight when he'd write his blog entry about ATwosomePlace.

[Yunho’s cup of coffee - How to go about it](https://yunhoscupofcoffee.wordpress.com/2020/09/13/how-to-go-about-it/)

[Yunho’s cup of coffee - ATwosomePlace](https://yunhoscupofcoffee.wordpress.com/2020/09/13/atwosomeplace/)

Some people believe there is a turning point in their life. A point - or per definition of the word - more like a time at which a situation starts to change in an important way. And Yunho had been one of them.

All his life he believed that out there would be a point at which he would cross paths with the love of his life. He wasn’t per se a hopeless romantic to think so. But since he had not been very interested in pursuing a romantic relationship until his last year of school, he had somehow started to use this stance on the topic almost as a defense. As Yunho had pretty early in life realized that he did not, in fact, feel any kind of attraction to women at all, he came to truly hope for this turning point in life somehow.

Hongjoong often tended to joke about it. Most probably his friend was right and if that turning point would come, Yunho would be too dense to truly comprehend it. Maybe he’d, later on, lay in bed and suddenly realize what had been his turning point. But realizing it upfront? Not Yunho’s forte.

It was a rather cool morning for the beginning of August. The rain of the past few days had finally stopped for a moment and Yunho enjoyed leaving the house without an umbrella. In the last few days, his mood had drastically decreased as he was buried below assignments for his classes and the heavy rain alike. But this morning felt like a fresh start. And with the fresh start, came a significantly better mood.

Yunho was on his way to the library to return a book before he’d go to his classes for the day, as he passed an unsuspecting building. It had been wrapped with a net the last time he passed by. There had been a lot of construction workers but no sign as to what they were building here. As Hongik University was nearby, Yunho expected it to be another restaurant or book shop. But he had not given it much thought.

As he passed that morning though, he gave the newly revealed building a closer look. There was a staircase lined with sakura flowers leading upstairs onto the first floor, but otherwise, it seemed like nothing spectacular. On the ground level, there was a small parking space, only enough for one car. This was most probably where the owner parked their car. As the street was rather narrow and therefore didn’t offer a lot of parking space, that parking space would for sure come in handy.

For a moment Yunho was sure his assumption had been right and this was another restaurant. But as he took another step down the sidewalk, he immediately smelled it. This was a coffee shop. The fine aroma of freshly ground coffee was unmistakable. A slightly bitter note accompanied the otherwise pungent smell of roasted beans and before Yunho could think twice his feet were upon the steps.

It took him exactly 16 steps until he reached a glass sliding door.

The smell of freshly ground coffee was much stronger up here. In between the lines of tangy bitterness and sweet chocolate aroma, Yunho could smell something unusual. Was that cinnamon? He furrowed his brows in concentration. It was hard placing all the different aromas that assaulted his nose. Before he could further think this through, he entered the shop.

Yunho had already spotted the interior from the outside, but coming inside he gave everything a once over anyway. The walls, as well as the interior, were in different shades of pink. The shelves on the wall white with gold accents and while it should have been too much, too opulent, it seemed well put together. The couches and seats looked plush and comfortable. Exactly what one would want to spend hours on.

To his left, there was a small bar with three bar stools that allowed a view onto the street below. And even those chairs looked comfortable. Despite the coffee shop not being giant at all, it felt warm and cozy. Perfect to spend hours here switching between different spots.

Yunho's eyes finally landed on the counter and the barista on shift seemed like he had not yet realized the arrival of a potential guest. The guy was a little smaller than Yunho himself, had blond hair, and was currently very busy checking himself out in the back of a spoon.

The picture was quite funny but at the same time, it was as if for a moment time had stopped completely. At first, Yunho didn't know what exactly caught his eyes so much, but the guy behind the counter had a kind of aura to him that was breathtaking. It almost felt as if he had stolen Yunho's heart upon first glance.

Yunho took a tentative step closer. The barista gave the hair on his forehead a soft flick, rightened the position of a strand that had gotten in the way. His eyes fixed on the Baristas lips, watching him as he mouthed along the lines of a BTS song Yunho was pretty positive was DNA.

The coffee shop was filled with the aroma of cinnamon and coffee. The AC in the back whirring along quietly but Yunho was entranced by the guy so oblivious to his presence.

The Barista put the spoon down to lift his cup instead and took a sip of what Yunho expected to be milk tea judging by the color of it. He took the chance and stepped up in front of the counter. "Oh god!" The Barista exclaimed as he looked up from his cup, almost spilling the content down the front of his blue apron. "I didn't even take notice of you! I'm sorry!" The Barista immediately apologized. His wide eyes were clearly scanning Yunho's face and he felt his cheeks warming up significantly under the Barista's attention.

"Oh no don't worry!" Yunho said with a laugh and politely bowed to indicate his sorrow at startling the other man. "I didn't make myself known as I entered. So the blame is on me." Yunho insisted. While he scanned the menu above the Baristas head, he came to read the name tag on the Baristas apron as well.

Wooyoung, the name tag read. A name suiting him very well.

After studying the menu for a good minute, nothing special was catching his eye. The obvious choice would have been to go with an iced americano. But the smell of cinnamon in the air was more than tempting. Tempting enough for Yunho to search eye contact with the Barista again. "Can I ask you a question?" He asked quietly. The very enthusiastic nod Wooyoung returned him, was more than encouraging. How could anyone this early in the morning have so much positive energy?

"It smells very chocolate in here and like a note of cinnamon if I'm not mistaken. Do you use a special kind of coffee blend?" The question was very specific. Specific enough for Wooyoung to be taken aback for a moment.

He took a moment to catch himself before he gave a low chuckle. "You have a good nose! Usually, customers don't know about the very specifics of aroma, when it comes to coffee blends." Wooyoung looked around for a moment before he grabbed for a small plate and poured some beans onto the surface.

"This is our special blend." He explained and lifted the plate over the counter. "It has a chocolate note because we mix some mocha beans into it," Wooyoung explained quickly. The mocha beans were easy to spot among the sample Wooyoung had offered him.

Yunho lifted the plate to his nose and gave it a careful sniff. The aroma was almost overwhelming up close. It was dark but soft, giving off the feeling of a warm afternoon in the sun. For sure, a good blend when it came to anything iced. For a moment he was tempted to go with his initial choice and order an iced americano. But he couldn't forget about that intriguing smell of cinnamon. The beans were obviously not the reason for it.

Before Yunho could ask again, Wooyoung was lifting his cup up so Yunho could see it. "You were asking about the cinnamon aroma. I think this is the reason for it." He said sheepishly and gave his straw a careful suck. Yunho followed the movement of his lips, watched them wrap around the straw, and parted with the wettest look he had seen on anyone in a while.

Those lips were for sure very kissable...

"I'm drinking our signature iced milk tea," Wooyoung said proudly. "It has cinnamon in it, to round of on the aroma profile of slightly roasted black tea." He explained further and Yunho found himself glued to his lips again.

Before he could question himself, he ordered one of those. May it be the power of Wooyoung's pretty face, or truly the intriguing smell of cinnamon, Yunho wasn't too sure. But he needed one of those signature iced milk teas. The smile Wooyoung flashed him upon his order was blinding and Yunho felt himself getting a little weak in the knees.

Not long after his order, Wooyoung put down his iced milk tea on the countertop. The smell of cinnamon was not as strong as Yunho had expected it to be but he was anticipating it anyway. "Please have a sip and let me know how you like it!" Wooyoung urged him on, leaning his elbows onto the counter just to be able to rest his chin on his hand.

Yunho gave a small nod before he took the cup from the counter and lifted it to his lips. He took a sip and immediately knew what Wooyoung had meant when he had said that the cinnamon was meant to balance the aroma spectrum, tie things together to give it a well-rounded flavor profile. There was the barest hint of slightly roasted black tea, the taste of cinnamon but also an underlying kind of sweetness that must have come from the milk.

The flavor profile was well thought of, well-executed. Not too sweet not too weak. The milk tea was not water at all but felt slightly thick on the tongue but at the same time well cooled and not too cold. It was the best milk tea Yunho had in months. Most probably only his mother's milk tea was better than this.

"How do you like it?" Wooyoung asked again and his smile was so soft, Yunho felt almost overwhelmed. "It tastes perfect. This is the best milk tea I've had in months." He stopped to take another sip, maybe map out other underlying flavors he had previously missed. "It tastes really good. A little bit like chai tea but not as strong, rather like the cinnamon is adding to the aroma of the black tea. Helping in bringing out the deep flavor of it." Yunho added as he took another sip.

Wooyoung's eyes had long turned in two closed crescents with how wide he smiled. "I know right? Hyojin noona came up with the combination herself and it's my favorite item on the menu." Wooyoung stated proudly.

After another sip, Yunho decided he should finally pay and leave or he'd be most probably late for his classes judging by the time. The clock on the wall was not ticking in his favor as it seemed.

"Thank you for this delicious milk tea! But I really should pay and get going." Yunho said politely but Wooyoung just lifted his hands as if to deny him. "It's fine! This one is on me. You truly impressed me with how well you were able to pick up on the different aromas. So consider this the grand price for having such a good nose.â€œ Wooyoung stated with an even brighter grin and Yunho? Yunho was busy keeping his wildly beating heart in his chest, which was why he almost forgot his drink on his way out.

After his run-in with a surprisingly good milk tea, Yunho found himself thinking back to the encounter for the rest of the day. Not only the tea but especially the Barista had caught his attention. Enough for Yunho to text Hongjoong nonstop throughout the morning.

You know,“ Hongjoong said over their lunch. It was simple ramyun and kimchi fried rice gimbap from a nearby convenience store. „I know a Wooyoung who’s a barista. What would be the odds if it would be the same?“ The odds were barely ever in Yunho's favor. So he gave a short snort. To avoid an immediate answer, he instead took a hearty bite of his gimbap. The rice was slightly spicy but definitely not the reason as to why he was choking right now.

In front of his face was Hongjoong’s phone, on-screen a picture of Hongjoong from his Barista seminar. He had his arm wrapped around a man just slightly taller than him. They were grinning blindingly at the camera, their certificates on display as well. What a lucky day it must have been for them.

„Jung Wooyoung.“ Hongjoong offered helpfully and the guy on display was clearly the Barista from earlier. „What are the odds I get to change his last name to Jeong anytime soon?“ Yunho asked dreamily. There was no mistaking, from the bright screen of Hongjoong’s phone was Wooyoung smiling back at him. Just as he had this morning as they had been talking about the coffee blend.

Hongjoong took the phone back and snickered to himself for a moment. After looking at his screen for just a moment longer, he turned his phone screen down again to return his attention back to his lunch. “Maybe this has been your turning point. You know the one you always waited for.” Hongjoong offered casually. At that moment Yunho thought his friend wasn’t per se acting weird. He was actually acting pretty normal.

It was only after they had parted ways to go to their respective classes after lunch, that Yunho got a weird churning in his stomach. There was a new chat on his Kakaotalk and the only message it contained, from a number Yunho didn’t know, was a selfie of Wooyoung showing him sip an iced milk tea. His pointer finger and middle finger lifted cutely to show a peace sign. Could the odds truly be in his favors for once?

For a moment Yunho contemplated if and if yes, how he should answer him. Maybe sending a simple selfie back would be enough? He did not even question how Wooyoung had gotten his number. As Hongjoong was the one and only link between them, connecting the dots was easy after all. After another moment of contemplation, Yunho sends Hongjoong a quick thanks before he lifted his phone up to take a selfie.

While he waited for an answer, Yunho proceeded to save Wooyoung's number accordingly. It took not more than a few minutes for Wooyoung's reply to come in the form of another text.

**Wooyoung**  
It was really nice meeting you today Yunho-sshi!! (∪＾ω＾) Who’d have thought Hongjoong hyung would be the link between us hehe

**Wooyoung**  
This is Wooyoung from Our Café by the way!! We met earlier.

**Wooyoung**  
I was so impressed by your good nose

**Wooyoung**  
I’m sorry, are you busy? I should most probably stop spamming you

Yunho did in fact, not feel the slightest bit spammed. It was rather the opposite. He wasn’t too sure if he’d get away with writing text messages throughout his classes. But he was willing to try and risk getting scolded by his teachers. Wooyoung's display picture was a cute picture of him and his mom. Both were holding a cup of what seemed to be a dark liquid.

You’re not spamming at all! I really love to talk to you!

The second Yunho had sent his message the doubt seemed to flood in. Had he been a little too bold with it? His phone vibrated for a split second, drawing his attention back onto the chat.

**Wooyoung**  
Hongjoong hyung already warned me, that you’d be a flirt

**Wooyoung**  
⁞ ✿ ᵒ̌ ᴥ ᵒ̌ ✿ ⁞

**Wooyoung**  
So tell me hyung, what is it with you and coffee?? You seemed to be very well informed about coffee and different blends

Hongjoong had not just given his number to Wooyoung, of course, he had to embarrass him as well! He’d for sure let the older know what he thought about that later. But now he had to hurry to his next classes first. The teacher was already preparing spreadsheets as Yunho all but stumbled through the door. And while he may have technically been still punctual, his professor gave him a raised eyebrow - a warning if he knew one.

I love drinking coffee so much that I started to learn about different methods of roasting and the development of aroma in my free time.

And after bothering Hongjoong hyung about teaching me a thing or two, I also started to take making the perfect coffee very serious

I’m on my journey actually to find the best iced americano in Seoul!

**Wooyoung**  
Oh!! How exciting!! You should tell me more about that journey! I’m always interested in good  
coffee, even if iced americano isn’t my favorite drink but I’d never turn down a good cup of  
Coffee

Yunho's heart did a weird little flip. Oh, he’d love to just get the chance to see Wooyoung's beautiful face up close once more. He’d get creative and think of ways to exaggerate the story of how his blog came to be just so he would have more time to talk to Wooyoung.

I’d love to! But I have classes now and don’t know if I can text you properly

**Wooyoung**  
Oh no I totally understand

**Wooyoung**  
We could always meet up later? Maybe have a coffee together while you tell me about it?

That would be awesome, sure

**Wooyoung**  
I really don’t want to, you know, annoy you or anything. If I’m too much just tell me

**Wooyoung**  
Hyungs’ tell me all the time that I can get a little bit much

Yunho could hardly believe Wooyoung could ever be too much. Too much what? Too cute? Too adorable? Too nice? There was no way he could possibly imagine it.

Do you know Coffee Brown in Hongdae? It’s not far from your workplace and also not far from my University

**Wooyoung**  
I do!! They have this really nice green tea latte ᕙ༼◕ ᴥ ◕༽ᕗ

Let’s meet there at 6?

**Wooyoung**  
Sounds perfect to me!! See you later hyung!!

Wooyoung's excitement, conveyed through the constant exclamation marks, was unsettling in a very positive way. It made the butterflies in Yunho's stomach swoop around like they haven’t had in months. It felt almost like Wooyoung was looking forward to meeting him again, just like Yunho did. Although they had met only this morning, it seemed like they were clicking right away.

Do you think Wooyoung could like me? Like in, just a tiny bit? Enough for me to have a chance with him? Maybe?

**Hongjoong**  
idk what u mean

**Hongjoong**  
boi was sending me 20 crying memes of that bts guy he likes so much after I showed him a pic of u

**Hongjoong**  
if u’d ask to kiss like on the first date he’d make out with u in an alley for sure

Yunho felt his heart rate pick up so quickly, he felt light-headed for a second. Were the odds for once in his favor? Could it truly be?

[Yunho’s cup of coffee - A hidden gem RUR Cafe](https://yunhoscupofcoffee.wordpress.com/2020/09/13/an-hidden-gem-rur-cafe/)

Yunho had tried not to be late but his last lecture seemed to stretch on forever, that’s why he was running late. Very late. Late enough that he had texted Wooyoung already to inform him. But the others reply had been nothing but a sweet emoji (like he used so often as Yunho came to learn over the course of the afternoon) and an encouraging message that he’d patiently wait for Yunho.

So as he was trying to use gravity in his favor for once and speed down the hill from Hongik University right to Coffee Brown where Wooyoung was waiting for at least ten minutes already. Despite the fact, Wooyoung had said it was fine and he wasn’t bothered at all, Yunho could hardly imagine how it could possibly be not bothersome to wait in front of a coffee shop on a crowded sidewalk?

Spotting Wooyoung amongst the crowd of people passing by was easy. A little too easy maybe. His blonde hair was sticking out pleasantly and he seemed to drown in his oversized denim jacket. The early evening air was slightly fresh due to the past days of constant rain but also humid. Oh now was he sweating? Had he even used deodorant this morning? He had been stuck with a lot of sweaty students just now. Hopefully, he didn’t smell…

Wooyoung skilfully rid Yunho of every doubt he might have had. As he looked up from his phone his eyes seemed to instantly lock on Yunho, who was still on the other side of the sidewalk. As he crossed the street, Wooyoung already stretched his arms in an invitation to hug - and Yunho? Yunho was so easy. He was so goddamn easy. He went straight into Wooyoung's waiting arms and wrapped his arms around the smaller man's waist.

„Hi!“ Wooyoung greeted with excitement and pulled back just slightly to flash Yunho a bright smile. „See? It was no problem at all to wait, as you were barely late!“ If only the other would have known the hurry Yunho had been in as he had practically fled the lector room with.

„I tried to hurry, I’m sorry if I might be smelly.“ Yunho went to apologize but all Wooyoung did was shake his head. „Nope. You smell perfectly fine. A little musky but that’s nice.“ Yunho was so taken aback by Wooyoung's statement, that he couldn't come up with a retort quick enough. Maybe Hongjoong had been right, maybe Yunho had a chance with Wooyoung after all.

They went upstairs, taking the narrow steps one at a time. Despite the fact Yunho had been here before, he never tired from the feeling of entering the coffee shop. Thanks to its small space and the warm decor, it always felt like coming home. Due to all the dark wood, it reminded him of summer evenings at his grandma's house in the countryside.

"Let's sit over there," Wooyoung said and took off into the direction of a free seat. Unusual for the time they were visiting, the shop was half empty. Which in return allowed them to choose a nice seat on the small balcony. Yunho had hastily greeted the Barista at work as he had followed Wooyoung. Since he had only thrown him a short glance, Yunho was a little shocked to see just how tall the Barista was as he stepped up to their table.

The man's eyes were clearly narrowed onto Wooyoung. Small slits that didn't allow much interpretation as to how the other was actually feeling. "Jung Wooyoung." The man said in a low voice. And while that was enough for Yunho to raise a surprised eyebrow, Wooyoung just gave a bright grin. "Mingi-ah," he replied cheerfully. "What are you doing here Checking out the competition?" Mingi asked in what Yunho expected of him to be his stern voice. And while that had a great effect on Yunho, it seemed to hold none on Wooyoung.

"I'm here with my friend. He's studying well at Hongik University, so I thought I should treat him to the best green tea latte in Hongdae, right?" That seemed to soothe some of Mingis suspicion because his face seemed to carefully unclench. "Haven't you been going off on how the best green tea latte in all of South Korea is served at Innisfree?" While his face had relaxed his voice was still gruff. But maybe that was simply how this guy sounded.

Cheeky as he was, Wooyoung tucked the side of his mouth into a wide grin. His fingers pointed finger guns at the Barista. "Well, I said the best green tea latte in Hongdae, right?"

If it would have been for Yunho, being in Mingis apron right now, he would have maybe strangled Wooyung. But Mingi seemed to be used to this kind of behavior because he only huffed, exaggerated and gestured towards Yunho. "One green tea latte for Wooyoung and what for his friend?" And that's when he pointed to Yunho.

"He'll take an iced americano, but you better pour all your heart and soul into it. Or he'll badmouth you at his grandma fan club." Yunho was greatly surprised that Wooyoung knew about his 'fan club'. Must be Hongjoong's doing as he had not yet spoken about that side of his life.

They fell in an easy conversation the moment Mingi left to prepare their drinks. It was mindless talk about work and university, details they had not yet shared with each other over text.

It didn't take long for Mingi to return with their drinks and the contrast between them could have not been any harsher. While Wooyoung's iced green tea latte was a vibrant green that got darker and darker the closer the drink came to the bottom of the glass, while Yunho's drink was dark and almost a bit murky. The sight alone made him immediately halt in his movements.

As if Wooyoung sensed his hesitation he set his glass back onto the table and took Yunho's drink instead. "Since I know Mingi, I should first judge if this drink is of any use." He said loud enough for a huff to be retorted all the way from over at the counter.

Without even asking if it was fine, Wooyoung wrapped his lips around the straw and gave his drink a hearty suck. The drink lingered on his tongue just for a moment before he swallowed it. The glass got wordlessly handed back to Yunho. "Before you drink, close your eyes and let me know what you smell." Wooyoung encouraged and it took not more than that for Yunho to overcome his initial hesitation.

Done as he was instructed, he tried to pinpoint the different aromas. It was a bit dark, on any other day he would say too dark even for his liking. There was also the quiet aroma of nuts, something deep and warm, maybe chocolate even. As Yunho opened his eyes, Wooyoung gave an encouraging nod into his direction. "You should have a sip, it will not disappoint your expectations."

Wooyoung's words were once more enough for Yunho to take the straw between his lips and give the drink a try. It was maybe a little warmer than Yunho might have liked, but over the next minutes, the ice cubes in his drink would do their job for sure. As Wooyoung had predicted, Yunho was not disappointed.

The coffee was not too thin and the ratio between water and the espresso shot was just right. Despite the rather earthy and dark taste of an intense roast, Yunho could indeed taste the faint aroma of nuts and chocolate. A taste that just needed a moment to bloom over the back of his tongue. But once it was present, it was very distinct in his aroma profile.

"It's really delicious," Yunho said finally with a satisfied smile on his lips. "I knew you'd like it," Wooyoung said with a grin and gently cupped his hand around Yunho's, still holding the glass.

[Yunho’s cup of coffee - A stable in Hongdae Coffee Brown](https://yunhoscupofcoffee.wordpress.com/2020/09/13/a-stable-in-hongdae-coffee-brown/)

After their first date, if this could even be called one, they had turned to texting quite frequently with each other. It had all started innocently enough with Wooyoung thanking Yunho for the fun evening and all the cool stories about his grandma friends on Naver.

He must've been so excited about their evening that he went on to thank Hongjoong for making the connection for them. Because Hongjoong texted Yunho a screenshot from Wooyoung's and his conversation, showing off the 21 crying memes of various BTS members. All he had said along with the screenshot was "why do I have to be part of you twos' tries at wooing each other???" That night, Yunho had gone to bed with the biggest smile. For the first time in a very long time, he felt truly happy.

So their casual texting turned into sweet good morning messages, random pictures of funny things they had seen (Wooyoung send him a picture of an elderly man seemingly fighting a living crab on the subway, followed by his very exciting live commentary as to how the fight to get the crab back into a bag turned out) up to sweet good night texts. Those were usually adorned with an even sweeter picture of Wooyoung snuggling a plush Chimmy or wearing a face mask. To say Yunho was losing his mind and heart pretty fast did not even cover it.

**Wooyoung**  
So we have a problem

And what would that be?

**Wooyoung**  
It's Friday afternoon

**Wooyoung**  
and you haven't asked me yet out on another date

Due to their busy schedules, they had been unable to meet for the past one and a half weeks. But Wooyoung didn't make it seem like it had been that long since they last had seen each other. In fact, he had been pretty good at constantly face-timing Yunho, sending him encouraging text messages, or once even made Hongjoong bring him his signature black milk tea.

Despite the fact that Wooyoung knew Yunho loved iced americano, he had not yet brought up the invitation to make him some. But Yunho wasn't pushing him either. One day there would present a chance for him to try actual coffee Wooyoung had made.

For a long moment, Yunho was simply staring at the message on his screen. If he had any doubt that Wooyoung's intentions had not been to flirt with him at any given opportunity, it would now have been more than clear.

So you want us to go on another date?

Maybe that had been the exact wrong thing to say because their conversation fell quiet. Even after fifteen minutes, there seemingly was no reply from Wooyoung. Yunho was mentally kicking himself right below the knee, the one spot that hurt the most. Was there a gentle way to rephrase his sentence?

He sends a sticker first, just to try and gauge Wooyoung's reactions, maybe provoke him into replying even. But the other remained quiet.

I'm sorry if this sounded wrong. I'd love to go on another date, I was just hoping you'd give me a hint as to what could possibly be a good next date idea

I know you like dogs, should we go to a dog cafe then?

Just for good measure, he added another sticker. It took another ten minutes before he finally got a reply. Yunho immediately noted how it was less bubbly than usual.

**Wooyoung**  
Sure. I'm free all weekend so we can go whenever.

The reply felt suspiciously like the mental kick he had given himself earlier. He hadn't meant to sound like he was doubting Wooyoung's intentions, as they had been very clear and very in his face over the past week. It had been hard to deny just how well Wooyoung knew to flirt. It was very subtle, always charming, and often well hidden in between words. In the beginning, it had felt like Woooyung was simply testing the waters. But latest after Yunho's very enthusiastic reply, he had not held back.

Knowing the attraction Yunho had felt from the start was mutual, felt great. Wonderful even. And he often found himself daydreaming about the things Wooyoung had talked about or his smile. The funny selfie he sends recently or even the funny typos he made sometimes.

Considering this, he felt even worse for accidentally giving Wooyoung the wrong impression on how Yunho saw them. Therefore he decided to make it up to him when they'd meet.

Finding a suitable time and location had been easy and that's how Yunho found himself in front of Hapjeong station Exit 2, on Saturday afternoon. He had made sure to be a bit earlier than they had agreed on, simply to make sure Wooyoung would not be there first.

Punctual as expected, Wooyoung came exiting the station, along with other people. He was wearing skinny jeans that were chaffed at the ankles. He was wearing a simple white shirt with a floral print and matching sneakers. While his outfit was nothing extraordinary, it was suiting him well. The jeans were sitting tight on his hips, a belt only adding to the already prominent body line he had. Wooyoung was quick to pull his sunglasses on as the first few rays of sunlight hit his face after exiting the station.

"It's too warm, you know that right?" Wooyoung complained in lieu of a greeting. While their texting had gone back to normal, seeing Wooyoung in person after so long, Yunho could not help himself but wonder if the atmosphere was a little bit cold between them. He hoped dearly it was all in his head. "The dog cafe has good air-conditioning, so if we make our way there quickly, we won't have to sweat too badly."

The way was not far and after turning left on the second intersection, they already reached the dog cafe. The moment they entered the small space, the pleasantly cool air surrounded them. „I’m going to pay.“ Yunho said quietly as one of the employees approached them. Wooyoung didn’t say anything but went ahead to enter the cafe through a narrow fence while Yunho was still busy paying for them.

The room was sectioned in small and large dogs and while Yunho liked both groups alike, Wooyoung seemed to fancy the smaller dogs because he was immediately crouching down to pet whatever dog came up to him. After settling onto the bench, Wooyoung's lap was immediately occupied by a tiny, fluffy Pomeranian. His fur was so fluffy Yunho could hardly see Wooyoung's hands buried in it. Despite the many dogs around it was rather calm and only occasionally there was some barking.

„I wanted to apologize for my text yesterday. I really wanted to see you again… I was just… too nervous to convert that feeling I guess.“ Yunho said quietly just as a small Chihuahua settled onto his lap. Wooyoung kept quiet beside him. If he was sorting his thoughts or if their initial attraction towards each other had been too good to be true and was already breaking apart, Yunho could hardly tell. „I’m sorry, too.“ Wooyoung finally said. „I was getting ahead of myself again and as your reply didn’t match my expectations I felt hurt for no real reason.“ They turned to face each other and the tentative smile Wooyoung gave him, felt like the sun breaking through dark clouds.

„I really wanted to see you again, hyung.“ Despite the fact that they were of the same age, Wooyoung kept on regarding him with too much respect. And while it never had sparked anything in him, whenever he got called hyung before, the way Wooyoung said it, made his heart rate pick up every time. „Let’s forget about it then and enjoy our day.“ Yunho offered and the enthusiastic nod Wooyoung gave him, startled even the dog in his lap.

After that had been settled, they made the most out of their day.

Somehow they found themselves back at Coffee Brown that night. The air was still warm after the cloudless sky all afternoon. They sat at a table in the corner, waiting for their drinks as Wooyoung was skipping through the pictures and videos on Yunho's phone. Wooyoung didn’t comment much on the fact, that most of the pictures Yunho had taken, were of Wooyoung's face. He had been utterly adorable with the dogs and Yunho had a hard time resisting whenever they did something cute.

Mingi wasn’t on shift that night, so a nameless girl brought them their drinks and the macarons Wooyoung had ordered them. „We should have taken more pictures together.“ Wooyoung lamented quietly as he selected all the pictures he liked to send them to their Kakaotalk chat. Yunho agreed with the sentiment, but being all lovey dove with another man so shamelessly in the open, was not easy at all times. So he  
held back.

„We could always take some you know. Now or any other day.“ Yunho offered quietly, a slight smile on his lips. Despite the fact that Wooyoung was still staring at Yunho's phone, he returned the smile. „I’d love that.“ He replied and handed the phone back to Yunho.

Only later in bed, Yunho would realize Wooyoung had changed his background picture to a selfie of them from earlier, a small fluffy Pomeranian on their laps.

Yunho eyed Wooyoung's glass with great interest, as he had a caramel frappuccino that looked very thick in consistency. And it proved to be just as hard to drink just a moment later as Wooyoung wrapped his lips around the straw to draw up a sip. It was hard not to follow the movement of Wooyoung's lips. Or note the way they wrapped so delicately around the tip of the straw. Latest as barely anything seemed to come up, Wooyoung sucked harder, his cheeks hollowing out so prominently Yunho had to avert his eyes. Of course, his brain would go the extra mile and provide him with thoughts as to what those lips could do elsewhere.

„It’s too hard to drink like this. I need to wait some more.“ The words were formed around a pout and before Yunho could think twice he was already pushing his iced latte macchiato over to Wooyoung.

When it came down to their interactions, everything seemed so easy. It was like they were clicking in all the right places. And while Yunho scolded himself from time to time, with how quickly he allowed his heart to be stolen. He couldn’t bring it over him to guard his heart around Wooyoung. It seemed right to allow him in so unabashedly.

„Hey Yunho say,“ Wooyoung started as he picked a macaron from the plate between them. „What’s your favorite movie lately, or the last one you have seen?“ He asked with a smile and put the whole macaron into his mouth at once. That was actually a good question. As Yunho wasn’t as much of a movie freak as Hongjoong was, Yunho barely ever watched anything. Especially nothing trendy and new.

After taking a sip of his drink to buy himself some time, he finally replied. „Saraitda is the last one I saw, I think.“ Right, one of Yunho's classmates had pushed him to see that movie as it hit the cinemas in June. Ever since then he had not watched anything. „Oh, I heard of that movie. It’s the Zombie one where these kids vlog, right?“ Wooyoung asked enthusiastically as he tried to take another sip of his drink. This time for real.

„Yeah, that one. It was pretty okay.“ Yunho replied before Wooyoung could finish his sipping. „Maybe we should have a movie night some time? I can even cook us some food.“ Wooyoung offered along with one of his blinding smiles. And Yunho's heart? It beat so quickly, Wooyoung might as well heard it all the way over at the other end of the table.

The perfect date for their movie night was the following Tuesday. They had spent the rest of the past weekend texting away, face-timing for hours before they had to take a break thanks to their overheating phones, but after a shower, they were back to texting.

Sometimes, especially in the late hours of the night, their feelings seemed to catch up with them. After more or less constantly texting for the past three weeks, Yunho felt sometimes like he was straight-up sitting on cloud nine. Wooyoung was the funniest person he had ever met. No matter if the intended to, or if it was unintentionally. The way he talked as much as he listened so attentively to everything Yunho had to say, made him fall even faster.

It was Monday night, and after a rough start into the week, Yunho was clinging to his conversations with Wooyoung like it was his lifeline.

You know I really miss you

Maybe more so because I had a shit day but I just yeah...

I miss you

**Wooyoung**  
Oh no, that bad? Has your day been that horrible?

Yeah you can’t even imagine but I rather not talk about it

**Wooyoung**  
No, I totally understand that

**Wooyoung**  
What would make it better?

**Wooyoung**  
Wait I know something

It took exactly two minutes and maybe a few seconds before Wooyoung send him a funny picture of a dog in a backpack. Apparently, the dog had visited the coffee shop today and Wooyoung had been so endeared by the view, that he had to take a picture. Just for good measure, he added one of himself with a facemask too.

**Wooyoung**  
We’ll see each other tomorrow and I’ll make sure to cook something delicious!!

**Wooyoung**  
You won’t even remember your worries from today, maybe just go to sleep early today, okay?

I tried already, but I just can’t seem to fall asleep

**Wooyoung**  
Want me to call you? We can talk on the phone till you fall asleep (｀･ω･´)ゞ

Yunho didn’t even get to reply with anything as Wooyoung just called him up. And the soothing way Wooyoung talked about all and nothing, was calming Yunho's mind noticeably. Within just a few minutes he felt positively relaxed, ready to simply lean back and fall asleep.

The promise of bulgogi gimbap and sundubu jjigae, as well as a tight hug, was enough to heighten Yunho's desire to fall asleep quickly. The sooner he’d sleep, the sooner he’d get to see Wooyoung the next day. So as they said their goodbyes late into the night, Yunho fell asleep easily. Not only the exhaustion of the day pulling him under but also his desire to dream of how it would feel to be held by Wooyoung for an extended period of time.

As Yunho had only two classes the next day, he got to sleep in just a little before he had to actually get up, give his apartment a quick clean up before leaving, and then heading out on time. He’d meet Wooyoung after his classes for a quick coffee run before they’d head back to Yunho's place for their movie night and dinner.

„I can’t believe you’re living in Seoul for two years now, on top of that, study at Hongik University and literally have never been here.“ Wooyoung lamented aloud in what was his greeting. Despite the slight jab, his pouty voice made it rather sound like a very endeared expression of exasperation. Yunho had passed this particular coffee shop a few times since he lived in Seoul but had never fancied the whole concept of fresh flowers and coffee. So he had never been to this coffee shop before.

Wooyoung, on the other hand, seemed to know every coffee shop in this part of the city and therefore insisted they had to at least take a short detour there before they could start their original plan. The entrance was hardly detectable as there were flowers everywhere, but Wooyoung was expertly leading their way up a truly narrow staircase up onto the second floor.

Besides the fact that there were countless flowers everywhere, Yunho could hardly say anything about the interior. They simply ordered an iced tea and iced americano before taking the narrow staircase up another floor. The third floor was slightly packed so they chose a seat by an open window and waited for their buzzer to go off.

„Have your classes been hard today?“ The question caught Yunho off guard. Had he been spacing out again or why was Wooyoung so worried for him suddenly? „Or is it still because of last night?“ He added on with a slightly encouraging smile. „I’m just tired, don’t worry.“ Yunho ensured and offered his palm to Wooyoung. It took him a moment of hesitation before he stretched his arm enough so their hands could touch. But the contact of their warm palms against each other didn’t last for long. Yunho couldn’t help himself but stoke his thumb over the soft skin covering Wooyoung's knuckles, as the buzzer went off on the table. Leading to them flinching away from each other, as if burned.

_Way to ruin the mood_. Yunho thought to himself. „I’ll get our drinks, stay back hyung.“ Wooyoung said with a smile and was up and gone the next second. For a moment he felt like everyone's eyes in the room were upon him, but it was for sure just his imagination and nothing more. Because the moment Wooyoung returned to him with a tray in hand, the feeling was gone.

„For once I must say, this iced americano looks good.“ Wooyoung commented as he lifted Yunho's glass up to inspect it properly before he set it back down onto the table. In a previous conversation, Wooyoung had once already mentioned that he didn’t enjoy iced americano much, but Yunho had not asked him why back then. But the way Wooyoung had suspiciously raised an eyebrow at the dark liquid, Yunho suspected Wooyoung detested it more than he had initially thought.

The tea in the other glass looked fine too, rich in color with a dried slice of orange on top, it emitted a prominent but fresh scent. „Why do I never see you drink anything containing at least one coffee bean?“ Right after the question had been spoken, Wooyoung raised an eyebrow at Yunho as if the answer was so simple, it had been between them all along. „I am a barista, hyung. I am very critical and very picky about my coffee. It would break my heart to drink a coffee from any other barista and not like it. It would feel like betrayal.“ His explanation made little sense to Yunho, but he felt like he could understand where Wooyoung's opinion was coming from. „So I rather not drink coffee from anyone I don’t know, and never have a bad opinion about a coffee shop, therefore.“ The smile he ended his speech with, was gentle but honest.

Wooyoung had some fun facts to tell about the tea in his glass and for the first time, Yunho truly came to realize, that Wooyoung was a barista through and through. His career choice had not been born out of necessity or opportunity. No, Wooyoung had long loved creating beverages and getting to know the different components of coffee and tea blends. He was well versed and seemed to have an unwavering interest in it. It was refreshing to be around someone who loved their job and went at it with passion.

„Can I ask you something?“ Deep down Yunho knew Wooyoung would never say no, but that didn’t change anything about the slight knot of nerves building up in his throat. It was as if Wooyoung wasn’t suspicious about the way the question had been worded or said because he nodded eagerly. „Of course!“ To emphasize his willingness, he gestured for Yunho to keep going. „What do you think makes an iced americano a good americano? Or any coffee in general. What is the magic behind it.“ For no real reason, other than Yunho's nerves, it felt like he had asked Wooyoung a question about life and death.

He knew everyone had a different opinion when it came to things regarding taste. And he technically knew that it was fine that way. But at the same time, it would also be kind of hurtful if Wooyoung would feel totally different about everything Yunho liked. So for him, this question had been kind of risky. Like grabbing a knife, not by the handle. Dangerous, should be avoided if possible.

Wooyoung was thinking hard, that much was rather obvious as he took another sip of his tea. His brows were furrowed deeply and only as his glass was more or less empty, he came up with a reply. „I think it’s tricky. For people like you and me, with a very sensitive nose and an even more sensitive tongue, we observe things more closely, more in deep.“ Yunho watched with rapt attention as Wooyoung bit his lip. „For me personally, I like a mellow blend. Something not too intense, I like the kind of aroma that slowly blooms on your tongue and gently tickles you awake. It allows me the freedom to add a complimenting syrup or a shot of espresso if needed.“ Yunho knew exactly what Wooyoung was getting at.

For the ordinary person, someone without much love and care for their beverage, someone maybe even who just liked things to be simple, mellow coffee with a lot of underlying aroma tasted bland. Boring. Nothing special. But for people surrounded by coffee all day, the thick and heavy smell, the taste of a dark roast, and the almost nutty, chocolaty flavors of it could easily be too much too quickly.

„But to everyone else, this may taste bland and boring.“ Wooyoung concluded aloud. „Especially for an iced americano, you might want the spice, you want the kick. You want to feel it almost burning your tongue, but not because of the temperature but because of the taste. It should be intense even without syrup. But when you like it sweet, the already pungent taste of a dark roast can easily be too much too fast.“ Yunho had followed the explanation with rapt attention and he had to agree. He had thought about this exact problem too.

Wooyoung paused for a moment before he carefully took Yunho's glass. He swirled the liquid carefully. „The ratio is important. How much ice, how cold is the water, is there syrup? There is so much to think about, that an iced americano is not as simple as it seems. I try to ask my customers very precisely how they enjoy their coffee, otherwise, the bitterness or sourness of the espresso shot used can be too much. Overpowering everything else and ruining the whole drink.“ He gave the drink a careful sniff before he returned his attention to Yunho. „Also important is the feeling on your tongue. I prefer my coffee soft, like something warm melted on my tongue. But an iced americano has barely any room to allow me the freedom to create this exact kind of feeling.”

Yunho would have never expected his simple question to turn into such a complex theme. That Wooyoung would allow him such an insight. It felt almost intimate, even if it was just for him. It’s also the reason why I haven’t made you one yet.“ Wooyoung explained almost too quiet. His eyes were downcast. It felt like he was being ashamed of saying it out loud. And Yunho finally realized just how important this whole topic was to Wooyoung. That being a barista and everything that came with it, was no joke to him. He took things seriously, way past the point of being reasonable even.

„One day when I’m ready, I’ll prepare one for you too.“ Wooyoung's words held a kind of finality to them, that made a shiver run down Yunho's spine.

They wrapped up their coffee date after that, as they planned to stop by at a mart on their way home. Yunho had explained to Wooyoung, his almost always very empty kind of refrigerator situation, who had simply laughed about it. After some assurance that they could always just go and buy groceries together, Yunho had not bothered to buy anything beforehand. Which led to them schlepping a ton of things back home.

Yunho's apartment wasn’t big but enough to comfortably hold the two of them. To quote Wooyoung's words upon entering, it was very homey and that was all that mattered. As there was nothing much to see besides the bathroom, Yunho's work and sleep space, and a very tiny balcony, they ended their room tour quickly and went to work on their dinner.

With Wooyoung's very helpful instructions and a little guidance, they easily came up with their dinner. It had definitely not been a lie as Wooyoung had told him he was very skilled in the kitchen. He had not only cut the vegetables in perfect bite-sized pieces, but he had also seasoned their soup deliciously. Yunho could get used to this way too easily.

After their bowls were cleared and the dishes done, Wooyoung made sure to secure himself the best spot on Yunho's tiny couch. With their bellies full and the summer air still clinging to their skin, it should have been too warm for any of their body parts to touch. But especially after last night, Yunho felt the urge more than ever to be close to Wooyoung. In the safe confines of his own apartment, there was no need to hold back. It would be the perfect moment to… yeah, cuddle with Wooyoung. Feel his heavy limbs against his own.

He was craving it. For days now, even. And he had been imagining it more than once already. How good it would feel if the other would rest against his chest, his ear against the spot where he could hear Yunho's heartbeat. Maybe have Wooyoung pressed against his hips just to get a feel of him.

They settled on a random movie on Netflix and Yunho could feel Wooyoung inching closer. He had no idea if it was intentional or not, but he wanted it to be on full intent. Yunho hoped Wooyoung would want it as much as he did.

„I know it’s super hot but… I’d really love to cuddle with you.“ Wooyoung said as if he had been able to read Yunho's mind. And who was he to deny him? „Yeah, I’d love that. Let’s rearrange a little so we can both fit on the couch properly.“ Yunho was way too tall to fit on the couch even alone, but with Wooyoung between his legs, it was even more of a struggle. After a few tries, they found a somewhat comfortable position. Along with their struggle, Yunho had proposed they may switch to his bed instead, but Wooyoung had just stared at him, cheeks red and clearly embarrassed before he had hidden his face in Yunho's neck, mumbling out an embarrassed ‚no‘.

The movie was boring, or at least to Yunho, which was why he had pretty soon started to instead busy himself with petting Wooyoung's neck and back. That was way more fun than actually watching the movie.

It wasn’t long before he felt the first tentative movement of Wooyoung's fingers below the hem of his shirt. Just a shy touch. Fingertips against the space right above his shorts. Thankfully Yunho wasn’t ticklish there so he let Wooyoung roam as much of his skin as he wanted too.

They must have spent a while like that, absentmindedly watching the movie while they were rather mapping each other out. It felt nice enjoying the close proximity without a care in the world. There was no pressure to perform, no need to hurry anything. Just getting to know each other and attuning their own bodies to the new sensation.

It was Wooyoung who sat up after a while. Not completely though, just enough so he could have a better look at Yunho. For a moment they didn’t say anything and just looked at each other. Taking in every mole and stray hair. It was almost like a nervous habit of Wooyoung, to bite at the corner of his mouth, just slightly on the inner part whenever he was about to say something he had been mulling over a lot.

„Yunho,“ Wooyoung murmured. And the way he said his name so intimately, hushed, quiet just between them, was making a shiver run down his spine. „Hyung can I kiss you?“ He added after a moment and Yunho's poor heart felt like it was combusting. The way he had asked him, the way he was looking at him. For a second it felt like Wooyoung's whole world simply centered around Yunho and nothing else. „I’d love that.” He finally replied and the smile that spread over Wooyoung's whole face was something Yunho would dearly commit to memory.

They leaned in to meet in the middle. Guided by Yunho's hand on Wooyoung's jaw, their lips met perfectly. It was way more than a peck. A press so firm and still gentle, just the right pressure to feel the give of each other's lips and the soft smile that formed afterwards. There had been no nervous energy, just pure unadulterated anticipation for what was to come.

And Yunho loved every second of it. They parted just to readjust and go straight back to sharing another few kisses. They still tasted of their dinner, a little spicy, a little salty. The perfect combination and soon the movie was forgotten and all they had on their mind was kissing even more.

[Yunho’s cup of coffee - Arriate](https://yunhoscupofcoffee.wordpress.com/2020/09/13/arriarte/)

By the beginning of September, the days were barely distinguishable. Every day was rainy. The air was humid to the point it felt like one of those raindrop cakes. Thick but clear and most importantly able to be cut with a knife. Yunho had spent his summer break with additional classes, so they had barely finished last week and following the next, his next semester was already begin.

To say he was tired of going to classes, online or not, was an understatement. He was more than tired, to the point even he had fallen asleep yesterday while Wooyoung was preparing dinner (once again). Ever since their dinner date, this had slowly become a routine of theirs. Wooyoung would send him a picture of some grocery item and ask if Yunho would like to eat that and no matter the reply, Wooyoung would come over anyways to cook dinner.

It was getting to the point Wooyoung had befriended the grandmas around his house and the nearby supermarket. Yunho was no longer their favorite, as they would now only ask when his very charming friend would come over again. Even though Yunho had been a little bumped and sulky about the fact, he could pretty well understand why they would fall for Wooyoung's charms. Just like he had.

**Wooyoung**  
Did you enjoy your free day??

One could say so, I’ve been sleeping in

Then thought about kissing you for an hour

Now I’m tired again

**Wooyoung**  
You’re so cute…

**Wooyoung**  
What am I supposed to do with you??

**Wooyoung**  
I really just want to kiss you all day

Yunho had to bite his lower lip to physically keep himself from smiling. Wooyoung was the kind of person that was so unabashedly cute in a very natural way. It was never too much, seemed never over the top but like he couldn’t help himself.

Me too…

Whenever you go I just.. miss you.

I’ve never felt about this with anyone before, it’s like I just… I found you and now I can’t let you go. My body craves you.

Wooyoung read his message but didn’t reply right away. A short glance onto the calendar on his wall told him he was most probably at work. The other day while Yunho had finished one of his online classes, Wooyoung had busied himself with writing down onto the calendar the days he worked. So Yunho always knew when he could pop by the coffee shop Wooyoung worked at. Since the coffee shop was more or less on Yunho's way home, he made sure to stop by at any given chance he had.

**Wooyoung**  
ε=ε=ε=ε=ε” “(/*’-‘*)/

**Wooyoung**  
Oh, baby…

Their conversation fell quiet for another few minutes. Wooyoung must be really busy today.

**Wooyoung**  
I was wondering if you’d like to come over to my place tonight?

**Wooyoung**  
I’m free tomorrow and we could just cuddle in bed all day

**Wooyoung**  
And not to shame your bed but my mattress is much nicer… so, come over

That was for sure an invitation Yunho could not let slip. So he willingly agreed. Especially after Wooyoung had offered to cook him naengmyeon and kimchi buchimgae. Which was one of Yunho's favorite food combinations.

There was just enough time to shower and pack his backpack before he had to leave the house and fetch Wooyoung from work. They were conveniently enough not living far from each other and Wooyoung's workplace more or less connected the way. So Yunho had forgone the subway and just walked the 15 minutes it took him to get to Wooyoung.

Surprisingly enough the other was already waiting for him by the stairs, eyes glued to his phone. A short glance onto his watch told Yunho he wasn’t late, but rather punctual actually. So Wooyoung must have been able to leave a little earlier than usual. „Hey— did you have to wait long?“ Yunho greeted him carefully as not to startle Wooyoung. The other looked up with a smile. „Hyung! No, just a few minutes. Don’t worry.“ He replied with a grin and immediately reached for Yunho's hand.

„Can we make a short detour on our way home? I’m craving some lemonade.“ Even without the pouty voice, Wooyoung spoke with, Yunho would have ever said no. And this is how they found themselves at the Kakao Friends flagship store just ten minutes later. „You may think how can a café like this have good lemonade, but let me tell you, they have the best.“ Wooyoung said in a way of explanation as he dragged Yunho up the stairs and into the Ryan themed café on the top floor.

„Oi Wooyoung!!“ Someone almost shouted immediately as they emerged from the stairs. And by now it should have been of no surprise for Yunho, that Wooyoung seemingly knew everyone in Hongdae. „San!!“ Was Wooyoung's just as enthusiastic reply as he walked up to the counter. „San - this is Yunho. Yunho - this is San. My best friend.“ The introduction was quick and to be honest Yunho had not been prepared to meet his almost boyfriend's best friend so soon.

Without any awkwardness, they greeted each other with a deep bow, even if it was a little lost on San's side, as he was still behind the counter. Due to it being just early afternoon, the café was thankfully empty and so there were no customers lining up. Which must have also been the reason why San was able to take a short break and join them for a drink. „You like apeach right?“ Wooyoung asked as he turned to Yunho. Liking the peach-shaped mascot of Kakao Friends was a kind of an understatement. Yunho loved apeach. He had a cushion, a wild array of apeach pens, and even a shower mat.

So after just giving a short nod, Wooyoung turned back to San. „Can I have my usual? And for Yunho, an apeach lemonade please?“ Wooyoung asked in such a sweet voice, Yunho was almost a little bit jealous. Before Wooyoung could as much as think about paying though, Yunho was pulling his bank card from his wallet. „You don’t have to.“ Wooyoung almost protested immediately. But the warm hand on his wrist was rather making him want to turn his palm up and hold hands than to retreat it and allow Wooyoung to pay. „But I want to.“ He said quietly but with finality to his voice that made Wooyoung blush just a bit. For a moment he said nothing and just nodded.

„Thank you.“ The words were said just as quiet but the smile that followed was worth more than anything. „Ok lovebirds, tone it down a little. Some of us are single.“ San groaned from behind the counter and snatched Yunho's card from his hands. After paying for their drinks, they searched for a nice table to sit, and soon San joined them with their drinks.

Instead of politely beating around the bush, San went straight in the second his ass hit the seat. „So you are the iced americano boy. I haven’t seen Wooyoung this obsessed with perfecting a kind of drink, ever since we finished our barista seminar.“ Well, that was some kind of news. Wooyoung had told him the perfect drink was a big deal to him but this big? Yunho came to think it may also be the reason why Wooyoung had not brought the topic back up. Not even after he had first hand seen Yunho prepare some iced americano at home. Wooyoung had peered over his shoulder but not criticized him once. Instead, he had even taken a sip a few times.

„Could you please not embarrass me like this.“ Wooyoung said with a groan in his voice, but San only grinned. And his grin reminded Yunho of that of a demon. Not the movie kind of demon, but the kind you would see in old paintings. The ones that looked a little like a fox or cat. „Am I? I thought your research was for lover boy over here? Or do you now do extended research for just any customer?“ Sans tones were flat but Yunho felt where he was getting at. Wooyoung had told him the whole thing was important to him and San now also reaffirmed that Wooyoung didn’t put extra effort in for just anybody. A hopeful feeling bloomed inside Yunho's chest.

Despite the fact their dating phase went well, they had yet to make it official. Ask each other out and become boyfriends. A term Yunho had never before been this eager to establish.

„San… I think it’s enough now.“ Wooyoung said sternly but San only returned the demand with a raised brow. It seemed like Wooyoung didn’t want to talk about why he was possibly doing what he was doing. He for sure wanted not to give away too much.

Everyone took a sip of their drink almost in tandem and it seemed like that cleared the air a little. Because San started to talk about something else without shame. Almost as if the first part of the conversation had never happened. After they had covered the fact what Yunho studied (Information and Computer Engineering) and where he studied (Hongik University), San quickly went on to where Yunho came from (Gwangju) and if good cooking skills were important in a relationship (which earned San a kick into the shin from Wooyoung).

„San-ah!!“ Someone was calling out from behind the counter and with a grave sight San immediately got up. „Alright love birds, that’s my call. Finish your drinks without me, please. Yunho it was nice meeting you. I hope we’ll see each other again soon.“ He said with a grin and after a quick bow, he was off before they could possibly reply.

Wooyoung mumbled something into his drink before he turned towards Yunho. „I’m deeply sorry for how this turned out.“ He said with a sigh. „I promise you the best naengmyeon you ever had for enduring this.“ And Wooyoung would not lie. His naengmyeon was superb as Yunho would learn not a lot later.

Their next coffee shop date was not really on behalf of them and not really a date either. It was rather the opposite.

They had been sitting at home, doing nothing but cuddling while there was a random movie on, as Yunho's phone got bombarded with messages. „Maybe you should answer that.“ Wooyoung said with amusement because whenever the screen of Yunho's phone lit up, there was a silly picture of the two of them kissing, shining brightly into the otherwise rather gloomy room. (It was yet another rainy day in Seoul). „It’s just Hongjoong, I’m sure he is simply talking about another new inspirational movie he has seen.“ Yunho said and turned his phone upside down.

With that done, the room fell gloomy again, and Yunho rested his head back against the cushion that supported his neck. Wooyoung had to shimmy up a little to rest his head back against Yunho's sternum, getting comfortable on the warm skin there. Over the past few days the temperature outside had cooled down a lot, so cuddling below a blanket was the perfect afternoon task.

They had just returned to their comfortable position, Wooyoung's hand below his shirt to feel for more warm skin, as Wooyoung's phone started to light up. They eyed the screen for a moment (a matching picture to the one Yunho had as background) and to no one's surprise, it was Hongjoong who texted him. „There must be something up.“ Wooyoung said finally and lifted himself enough to grab for his phone. The loss of warmth against his ribs was immediate the moment Wooyoung pulled his hand back from below his shirt.

Just as he lifted his phone, there was an incoming call. „Just take it…“ Yunho said with a sigh and paused the movie. „Honestly, what is it with you and never returning my texts??“ Hongjoong immediately complained the moment Wooyoung pressed the speaker function. „I’m sorry, we were busy watching a movie.“ Wooyoung said in way of explanation. „Since when are you watching movies. I never heard any of you talk about a movie ever. Oh god, you weren’t watching a movie right?!“ Hongjoong’s voice got immediately high pitched. He sounded so scandalized it was almost funny. Wooyoung and Yunho exchanged a confused glance before Yunho turned towards Wooyoung's phone. „No, we were not having sex if that’s what you think.“ He replied bluntly. Wooyoung's cheeks got a little tinted by the admission and Yunho could not stop to come and think, if that was something Wooyoung was already wanting to do. If he wanted to go past the cuddling and kissing they were doing.

Thinking about it, Wooyoung had never as much as hinted at it. He had never accidentally let his hands wander too far, or made any obscene sounds. They had kept things pretty tame and Yunho didn’t feel the need to rush anything. He was very much content with their stage of closeness. Maybe if they’d ever take the step and become actual boyfriends, maybe things would be different then. But for now, he was happy.

„Good god, I really don’t need to know any of that.“ Hongjoong complained aloud. „Just get up and get dressed. I’m going to see Seonghwa and you have to come along.“ There was no room for debate with how determined he said that. „Why should we? Can’t you stand being alone with your boyfriend?“ Wooyoung replied immediately. His voice was so whiny, Hongjoong must feel the pout even through the phone. „Are you at Yunho's apartment?“ Hongjoong demanded to know and the lack of reply seemed to be enough of an answer to him. „I’ll be at Yunho's apartment in 10 minutes. You better get dressed because I know his passcode and I don’t want to walk in on any naked bodies.“ He huffed before he added a gruff „Also wear something nice. After all, Seonghwa got promoted.“ And with that, the call ended.

Wooyoung whined for another three minutes, buried his face against Yunho's chest, and even threw a tantrum. But eventually, they both got up to get properly dressed. „It’s so cold today, I really wasn’t properly prepared for this kind of drop in temperature.“ Wooyoung said quietly as he pulled his hand back from where he had opened the balcony door just enough to get a feeling for the air outside. As the door fell shut again, Yunho was already beside him with a sweater. „I think it’ll be very much too big for you, but it’s better than freezing, right?“ He asked with a smile.

Whenever Yunho gave him this kind of smile, Wooyoung's heart just kickstarted. He felt the increasing pump of his heart, felt the blood rush through his ears, and within just another second his cheeks would noticeably warm up. „Thank you…“ He said quietly and took the sweater from Yunho's hands. The smell of Yunho's detergent was gentle on his nose but unmistakably reminded him of all the evenings they had spent in a tight embrace.

Punctual as ever, ten minutes later Hongjoong let himself into the apartment. To his surprise, both of his friends were already completely dressed and ready to leave. So without much ado, they left to meet Seonghwa.

He had recently been promoted to be the new manager of a coffee shop branch and even tho he had worked long and hard for the position, he had not been bragging about it. Not even for a minute. Instead, Hongjoong had bragged about it for him and had positively harassed all their friends into going there sooner or later.

The location was pretty far away from literally anything else and after changing subway lines two times and a 10-minute walk in the rain, they finally made it to the coffee shop Seonghwa was working at. Blessedly enough, it was warm and dry inside and beside a long table with at least eight elderly women around, it was empty. As they entered, Seonghwa was busy playfully flirting with one of the grandmas as he prepared her tea. Wooyoung leaned into Hongjoong before he said with a grin „Seems like you finally got some competition about your boyfriend's undivided attention.“ Sometimes, if Wooyoung truly wanted to, he was able to turn really nasty. Not to be mean, but to playfully irritate the ones around him.

After turning away from Hongjoong, he made sure to jab at Yunho as well. „Can you ask them if they know about your blog? Otherwise, this looks like the perfect opportunity to find new fans!“ Yunho just put his hands on Wooyoung's neck in return, carefully gripping him as if he was a kitten. „Don’t be mean, I’m not the reason we had to leave the house.“ He said quietly and pushed Wooyoung towards the counter.

„Oh! Hongjoong!“ Seonghwa said with a big smile as soon as he realized who stood before him. „Oh guys, you all came!“ He added and his laugh sounded genuinely happy. Yunho could see every woman along the table to their right turning to stare in unadulterated wonder at Seonghwa’s bright smile. One of them even cooed.

„I promised we’d come. So here we are.“ Hongjoong chirped happily and his whole face lit up like a candle. He was so fucking in love with his boyfriend, it was almost too much. After five years of dating, this kind of behavior should have toned down a little. But the two of them still acted like lovesick fools around each other. It was almost a little unsettling.

After everyone had chosen something from the menu, they made to sit on the opposite side of the wall and Yunho could well see how Wooyoung was eyeing the table full of elderly women all the time. While Wooyoung's attention was on them, their attention was on Seonghwa. With his handsome features, neatly parted hair, and his dark blue apron above his light blue button-down, he looked handsome. Enough for the women to discuss who should possibly introduce their unmarried granddaughter to him.

It took Seonghwa a while to prepare their drinks, but not because he was slow or because it was particularly hard. The elderly ladies though, had their grip on his attention a lot. Not only would they regularly come up to the counter, but also often call for his attention from their table. Wooyoung would switch his attention regularly from them to Hongjoong, just to see his best attempts at keeping a straight face.

They knew there was really nothing to be jealous about here, but it was still amusing to see how Hongjoong would repeatedly fumble with the ring on his finger. Finally, Seonghwa emerged from behind the counter. He had their drinks on a small tray and just enough time to set it down in front of them, before one of the women was already calling him again. They had a bag pulled onto the table and were peeling it back under great fanfare.

„ _Hobak injeolmi_ , come have some.“ One of them said and Seonghwa seemingly melted at the mention of what was sweet pumpkin rice cakes. „How could they know it’s his favorite?“ Wooyoung said with such an innocent voice, it sounded deeply fake. At least to Yunho's ears. But Hongjoong? He was particularly fuming at this point. Yunho wasn’t too sure what was funnier here, the fact Wooyoung also knew that it was Seonghwas favorite rice cake or the fact Hongjoong was clearly losing his cool over a few elderly ladies trying to woo his boyfriend for their granddaughters.

„I hope they are so sticky it glues his mouth shut.“ Hongjoong murmured into his latte macchiato and both Wooyoung and Yunho had to suppress their giggles. Wooyoung set his drink down to lean closer to Hongjoong. And the motion alone told Yunho something truly funny was about to happen. Not for Hongjoong tho, but for him as an outsider. „And how is he supposed to suck your dick then?“ Wooyoung asked quietly, almost like he was discussing some kind of conspiracy theory.

„Jung Wooyoung.“ Hongjoong gnawed the words out like he had sand between his teeth. But all Wooyoung did, was giggle in retaliation. „Yes, that would be me?“ He said between giggles and wrapped his arms tightly around Yunho's upper arm as if that could protect him.

Before anything bad could happen, Seonghwa joined them though. The hand he had below the table seemed to wrap around Hongjoong's upper thigh because he was immediately calmed. „So what did I miss?“ He asked as oblivious as one could be and Hongjoong's cheeks simply turned red. „Nothing… We were just discussing how Wooyoung over here is still a virgin.“

Well, that was news to Yunho. He tried not to bite the bait and ask if that was true. But Wooyoung's arms tightened almost unconsciously around him and that was answer enough. „Excuse me—“ Wooyoung hissed quietly and the sound was so sharp it left no room for speculations. Maybe that was part of the reason as to why they had not yet wandered further than cuddles and kissing. But Yunho had been content with that, so this newly revealed fact did nothing to sway him in his infatuation for Wooyoung.

If they’d ever become boyfriends and decide they’d take things further, they’d have enough time to explore everything together. There was no rush, as long as they were happy, things were fine the way they were.

Yunho felt like he should give Wooyoung some understanding of his standpoint in this matter, without adding oil to the fire. So he simply wrapped a hand around Wooyoung's and gently brushed his thumb along the knuckles. He could almost immediately feel him relax a little. „Not like you had any experience when we started dating.“ Seonghwa said and Hongjoong's cheeks puffed up like a blowfish. And with that, the topic was sealed.

Wooyoung had returned home that night to the confines of his own home and Yunho found himself lying in bed awake even way past midnight. He somehow could not rid himself of the feeling that he should have maybe said something about the whole ordeal. Encourage him maybe, or tell him it didn’t matter.

About earlier...

I don’t know how you feel about it

But for me, it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t matter if it just never happened for you or you had other reasons. I like you for being you, bits and bobs like this don’t change my mind

Yunho half expected for no reply to come. After all, it was pretty late and Wooyoung had work early the next day. But he felt somehow already better just speaking his mind or rather the things that had weighed him down.

**Wooyoung**  
I had no idea if this was something I should let you know

**Wooyoung**  
Or if it was too much too early…

It would have been ok either way Wooyoung

It doesn’t change the fact that I am attracted to you

For a while, no reply came in and Yunho thought Wooyoung might not want to further elaborate. So he locked his phone and went to the bathroom. Maybe after peeing, he would be able to finally sleep. Out of sheer curiosity, Yunho checked his phone one last time after he had returned under the covers. The text wall that greeted him back, was very surprising.

**Wooyoung**  
I always thought the first time should be something special. Or I should at least not feel pressured to do it but to want it. Like Hongjoong told me the longest how perfect it had felt the first time he had slept with Seonghwa. No pain and he had paid him and his body so much attention, he described it as the perfect first time. For him, Seonghwa had given him the time and space to get in touch with his body, explore his own desires. And it just made me realize that all the times I turned my past boyfriends down was because I never felt that. I never felt safe with them, never felt like they were focusing on me too, and not only on them.

**Wooyoung**  
I was tired of my ex-boyfriends always wanting more. More than blowjobs, more than hand jobs. Why was being with me never enough? I always felt so goddamn pressured to cater to their desires. To what they wanted and when they wanted it. It was never nice for me, I felt never aroused with them. It was like my body was shutting down because I never felt anything being mutual

**Wooyoung**  
I’m sorry, you’re for sure tired and I am just dumbing all my emotional trauma on you

**Wooyoung**  
It’s just… I never said this to anyone and reading it now it just sounds dumb and I know why I never said it aloud

It doesn’t sound dumb at all. It’s totally reasonable that you felt like that in the past. Especially after what Hongjoong described to you, how it could feel too.

That it didn’t have to be the way you experienced it

It just hurts to know you felt like that in the past, that they seemingly did not care about how you would perceive their actions and the pressuring emotions coming with it

I can’t change their actions, I can only assure you that there is no need to rush this or anything in general. Of course, I feel like you have captured my heart and are now on a run with it but that doesn’t mean anything needs to be done now. Or tomorrow. Or within the foreseeable future.

If we get to it, we will, and if not we won’t. I hope you know that. That I never gave you the impression you had to do something out of your comfort zone. I value you and your emotions, your boundaries as much as the moments you give me a hand and allow me to tug you out of it

**Wooyoung**  
You never made me feel anything else

**Wooyoung**  
I never felt pressured, I just… Should have been more open, that I need time for these kinds of things

Take all the time you need, I’ll be here waiting with open arms

**Wooyoung**  
I know, that’s what I love the most about you

Maybe it was the late hour or the fact that ever since they met two and a half months ago, one of them had remotely said anything in regards to the word _love_ , but Yunho had to put his phone down for a moment and just smile to himself.

[Yunho’s cup of coffee - Banana Tree](https://yunhoscupofcoffee.wordpress.com/2020/09/13/banana-tree/)

„I think you have corrupted me.“ Yunho said from the kitchen, more to himself than Wooyoung who was lying on the couch in his living-work-bedroom. Wooyoung had come over earlier after his shift at the coffee shop and quietly hung out in the back while Yunho had been studying.

As it was another rainy afternoon there wasn’t much they could do and therefore had returned to doing the puzzle they had started the other night. Yunho was per se not a big fan of puzzles but Wooyoung's big puppy eyes were his greatest weakness and therefore they had bought one from the Daisoo nearby and started on their adventure together.

Yunho had two cups set out in front of him and was spooning green tea powder into the both of them before he mixed in some hot milk to dissolve the powder. „What do you mean with ‘corrupted’?“ Wooyoung asked absentmindedly as Yunho re-entered the room. „Oh… You’re drinking matcha latte with me?“ He asked with true surprise in his voice. „Yeah like I said, I think you have corrupted me.“ He groaned quietly but otherwise smiled as he set the cups down on the table.

They had cleared everything aside so they could roll out the puzzle mat in the middle of the room for better access. „You know I should really take you out sometime soon, introduce you to Seouls best matcha latte.“ Wooyoung said. His finger was already pushing through the remaining puzzle pieces to find the piece he was looking for. „Innisfree Green Café“ Yunho said with a grin and Wooyoung lifted his head so quickly it must have hurt. „Huh… where did you know that from?“ But just as the question had left his mouth, he sighed. „Right… I mentioned it as we met Mingi once.“

His attention turned back towards the box of pieces and for a moment they didn’t further elaborate on possible future plans to go there. By now they weren’t truly planning their dates anymore anyways. Instead most of the time one of them would hit up the other with a quick text. And therefore most of their dates were rather spontaneous.

After their matcha latte was cleared and Wooyoung had literally searched through the whole box of puzzle pieces for one specific piece he couldn’t locate, they returned to Yunho's bed for cuddles. With his arm tightly slung around Wooyoung's narrow waist they lay there, listening to the rain patter against the metal railing of the balcony. They did that a lot lately, just lying in each other's arms talking about mindless things. Sometimes there was a movie on TV or sometimes they were blanketing themselves in the comfortable silence that came with being with each other.

Wooyoung buried his face a little deeper against Yunho's neck, searching Yunho's pulse point with his lips. Admittedly it tickled but the feeling was nice nonetheless. „Hyung,“ Wooyoung murmured quietly, barely audible even tho the words were spoken right below his ear. Yunho half expected Wooyoung to ask him if he could get him something to drink. Maybe even ask if they could take a nap because he was always so tired lately. „How do you feel about us?“ Was definitely not what Yunho had expected though.

This was it, the moment he had dreaded for a while. Ever since one-morning Wooyoung had climbed in his lap, dressed in one of Yunho's shirts, too large on Wooyoung's slender body, and had asked for a good morning kiss. Yunho had felt it for a while already actually. Maybe even longer than that fateful morning. He had been pretty sure of why exactly his heart was beating out of his chest whenever Wooyoung as much as texted him. But maybe he was a coward or maybe he was a little too scared of rejection, but he had not acted on his feelings yet.

Instead, he had lived in this carefully constructed bubble, one that could pop at any given time. A little too much pressure, hitting a sharp edge, it would not matter. The pain would be the same no matter what. The heartbreak would feel painful either way.

Maybe, if this would be the last time Yunho would get to hold Wooyoung like this, he could enjoy it just a moment longer. And all of a sudden he was hyper-aware of the soft fabric of Wooyoung's shirt, a sweater that had originally been Yunho's but had never been returned to him after they went to see Seonghwa at his coffee shop. His fingers drew a slow, deliberate circle over Wooyungs spine, and suddenly it felt like every vertebra was overly prominent as he curled his fingers into the sweater.

Yunho turned his head a little, inclined it enough for his nose to bury in the crown of Wooyoung’s hair. If only he’d get to have this more often. Just one more day maybe. He’d be forever grateful. As the silence dragged on, Wooyoung burrowed deeper into Yunho’s side, seemingly trying to disappear into the little space that was left between their bodies. „You know how I feel.“ Yunho murmured quietly. „It’s obvious, isn’t it? That I love you.“ The confession had weighed heavily on him, had been pulling him down and under even without realizing it, but even after the words were freed from his chest, Yunho felt no relief.

For a prolonged moment, there was silence, just their even breathing, just the rain outside dripping against the windows. A soft and constant pitter-patter that seemingly harmonized with their heartbeats. Wooyoung must have been so very much tense, must have held back a kind of electricity in his muscles and bones that came loose with one alleviating breath.

„I love you too.“ Wooyoung murmured. This time loud enough for Yunho to hear. Loud enough to fuel his heartbeat into overdrive. „Do you want to be my boyfriend then?“ Yunho asked with the trust and hopefulness that only came with the unadulterated happiness of a love confession being reciprocated.

Wooyoung's soft exhales against Yunho's neck, turned into quiet giggles, turned into his lips searching out Yunho's. „Yeah, I’d love that.“ Wooyoung replied between kisses. And even though they had kissed countless times before. It had never felt this good. This soft. This nice.

For the longest time, Yunho had laughed about newly formed couples. About the lovesickness and especially about the sappy texts and pictures they would exchange. In his past relationships, it had never been like this. It had never felt so nice to be loved by someone or to be someone's number one priority. But Wooyoung made it so easy for him to slip into that role himself. Maybe they had acted like a couple way longer than one of them liked to agree with. But Hongjoong had not been the slightest bit surprised as Yunho told him they were dating now.

And despite the fact that they were dating now, there didn’t change anything. They still texted constantly, remembered little bits, and nooks about each other's day, and most importantly still spontaneously went onto dates.

**Wooyoung**  
boyfriend ▽･ｪ･▽ﾉ”

**Wooyoung**  
take me out for matcha latte after work

Yunho had just returned home from classes and going out didn’t seem very appealing to him right now. Seeing Wooyoung, on the other hand, was something Yunho would never turn down. So maybe he was one of the lovesick fools himself now.

Of course. Shall I fetch you from work or are we meeting somewhere?

**Wooyoung**  
come and fetch me

**Wooyoung**  
Hyojin noona gave me something for you

**Wooyoung**  
but you have to carry it yourself so bring a bag hyung ( ´з｀)ﾉ⌒☆

With Hyojin you never knew. It could either be a stack of cookies or an illustrated book on tableware made by grandmas in the countryside. And as Wooyoung would not budge and tell him what it was this time, Yunho prepared himself for the worst. He already imagined himself walking through all of Seoul with a heavy bag, sweat dripping down his temples for other reasons than the humid September air.

As he climbed up the steps to the coffee shop Wooyoung worked at a little after four pm, Wooyoung was already lounging on an unoccupied seat. Hyojin was behind the counter writing something, as Yunho entered the shop. She reacted fist, as Wooyoung had his back turned towards the door. „Oi! Yunho-yah, come here. Straight to me.“ Hyojin ordered the moment the door closed behind him as if this could keep him from running away from her.

Wooyoung just snickered and sunk down further on the couch as if he would be hiding from either of them. „Noona.“ Yunho greeted carefully and bowed as he stepped closer. What could possibly happen that made even Wooyoung cower lower on the couch? „Yunho-yah. This is for you.“ She said the moment he came to round the counter and she immediately settled a heavy-looking bag onto the countertop. It was a sealed bag and the very unique smell that came wafting his way told him immediately what was hiding behind the elliptical bag. „Coffee beans.“ He said rather matter of factly and Hyojin nodded proudly at him. „Yep. Not just any coffee beans Yunho-yah. Wooyoung-ah has been working very hard on the blend. It’s his very first creation.“

Well, that was some news right here. „And I thought you should be the one to have a chance at testing them first before we start to sell them here.“ Her grin was blinding as she let him in on a great secret. „That’s very considerate from you noona, thank you.“ Yunho said with a shy bow. She made a show of patting him on the back a few times as he tried to put the bag of beans into his backpack.

„Well noona, time for us to go!“ Wooyoung declared the second Yunho had zipped his bag shut. „We’ve got places to be. Things to do. You know us.“ He did sing-song with his hand tightly wrapped around Yunho's elbow. „Of course. Enjoy your afternoon!“ Hyojin said before they could leave.

„You could have told me what was going on, you know.“ Yunho murmured as they stepped down the stairs. „I could have, but it was way more fun this way.“

[Yunho’s cup of coffee - The Infamous Innisfree Green Cafe](https://yunhoscupofcoffee.wordpress.com/2020/09/13/the-infamous-innsifree-green-cafe/)

On a Monday in the middle of September, Wooyoung had spammed their Kakaotalk with a flood of text messages. He had not only sounded very urgent and determined in his demands for Yunho to keep his weekend free for him, but also like he was hiding something. By now Yunho knew by simply having a kind of gut feeling. A gut feeling that never betrayed him.

Do you know what he is hiding from me?

He had texted Hongjoong after Wooyoung had sent a kissing meme of a BTS member Yunho now recognized as Jimin and therefore had ended their conversation.

**Hongjoong**  
he as in ur boyfriend?

Yes, he as in my boyfriend

**Hongjoong**  
Everyone has a part of themselves they hide. Even from the people, they love the most.

You know I can detect quotes simply by the fact you use perfect grammar and punctuation

**Hongjoong**  
u’re seriously no fun at all

**Hongjoong**  
but no i have no idea what ur boyfriend is hiding but whatever it is he better reveal it soon

**Hongjoong**  
we know u’r so bad with secrets

**Hongjoong**  
os don’t pester him

**Hongjoong**  
*pls

Well, Hongjoong was of no help at all as it seemed. So instead of further trying to tell him something he clearly knew nothing about, he tried to get some information squeezed out of Wooyoung himself. But apparently, his lips were sealed and no matter how often Yunho tried to poke at the topic, his boyfriend didn’t as much as bat an eyelash at it. Therefore Yunho had to patiently wait till Saturday was rolling around.

It was the first weekend since quite a while they would have all to themselves. So they had planned to make the most out of it. After a trip to the Aquarium and a stop for some honey toast, they had returned home. Even though it was late in the afternoon, Wooyoung had yet to tell Yunho about what he was hiding from him. At first, he had sworn there was nothing but Yunho’s gut had told him differently. And after attacking Wooyoung repeatedly with kisses, he had relented and said there were was indeed something. Something he could not yet tell though. A little settled and also a little bit bummed, Yunho had stolen another kiss but otherwise not probed further.

At least not, till they returned home.

Their shoes were barely off as he already had an arm full of Wooyoung. „I love you, you know.“ Wooyoung said with a smile, as his hand felt up the back of Yunho’s neck. „Even when you can’t shut up about possible things I am hiding from you.“ The smile that tugged the corners of his lips up, was enough to tell Yunho his boyfriend was joking with him. „I really love you. And I think I’m ready.“ For a long moment, Yunho didn’t know what to say.

„Is that what you were hiding from me?“ There must have been some bewilderment in his voice because Wooyoung started to laugh quietly. His hand tightened a little around Yunho’s neck, as his thumb gently pressed into the space below his ear. „No, not really. I think if you would have paid a little more attention to me in the mornings, you would have known about this sooner.“ His smile was soft as he spoke. „But today showed me even more how much I’m ready. The way you were bending down earlier? My knees almost buckled, as your shirt got all tight on your upper arms.“ The mirth in Wooyoung's voice wasn’t mocking at all, rather like he had been truly holding back to tell him all the time.

„But there is something else all well.“ He said finally and that perked Yunho's interest. „Anything else you’re thirsting over on my body?“ That earned him a laugh from Wooyoung. „A lot actually, but I’m sure you’ll like this one as well.“ For a moment he bit his lip before Wooyoung stepped back to separate their bodies. „I’ll just show you, okay?“

Yunho felt a little dumbfounded but nodded anyway. He trusted Wooyoung not to murder him in his sleep, so whatever he was about to show him could not be too bad for sure. Wooyoung stepped over to his backpack to take out a bottle of water before he stepped up to Yunho’s kitchen counter. „I wasn’t sure if you’d have any water at home.“ He said in way of explanation and it took Yunho a long moment to understand what Wooyoung could possibly want with a bottle of water.

But as he reached up on the shelf, barely reaching the contents on it and got a hold on the glass that held beans from the bag Hyojin had gifted him, Yunho had a good idea what was about to happen. „Are you doing what I think you’re doing?“ Yunho's question had been so very much innocent, almost like he could never in his life imagined this day would ever come.

But this was truly happening. It was very real. Wooyoung would make him an iced americano. After months of knowing each other, even after falling in love and dating each other, Yunho was genuinely surprised this was about to happen. His boyfriend seemed to go through the motions almost on autopilot. Like he had done this a million times already. And just by the nature of his job, he most probably had. But from San and also from Hongjoong he knew that this wasn’t like any other iced americano to Wooyoung. This was something special.

He had worked hard for him, had not just served him any drink but had poured his heart into his research. Wooyoung had tried hard to perfect his skills for him. Hyojin noona had even told him about it once, all proud and even a little teary-eyed. And suddenly Yunho remembered the conversation he had with Wooyoung once. About how he took his work seriously, that for him coffee was not just a simple beverage but something more, something deeper.

„The best part is pouring. Always.“ Wooyoung said quietly as he settled the glass down in front of himself. He had already poured ice cubes into the glass and looked over to check if Yunho was watching. After pouring in seemingly enough water, he reached over to the espresso shot that had dripped into a little coffee pot while he had done the rest. For a moment Wooyoung halted in his actions, seemingly hesitant as to if he should proceed.

Yunho stepped up behind him, his arms tightly around Wooyoung’s narrow waist, as he watched him from behind. „I want to see what you see. If pouring is the best part, there is no better perspective than yours.“ He said in kind of explanation. But more than anything he felt Wooyoung relax in his arms like this was giving him the kind boost he needed to proceed.

With a slow and deliberate move, he lifted the pot to tip it over and fill the rest of the glass with his espresso shot. Yunho watched with rapt attention as the coffee mixed in with the water, how the almost black espresso shot turned into a mellow brown. Rich in color and delicious in its aroma. It was like it intensified the moment the water defused the density of it. When the pouring was Wooyoung’s favorite part, then the moment afterward was Yunho’s.

With a careful hand, Wooyoung handed him the glass. He had barely stirred the americano, just giving it a gentle swirl but nothing more. And while Yunho had asked himself as to why he had done that, he didn’t have to ask as soon as he had taken the first sip.

With the first sip, there was the intensity a good americano had to have. A little bite that lasted only a moment before the mellow aroma of chocolate and toasted nuts seemed to soothe over the initial bite before the water seemed to swipe his tongue clean for the next sip. This iced americano was beyond special. Aside from the wide flavor palette and the deep aroma, there was also a unique drinking experience. Yunho knew this drink spoke in all of its form and perfection, of the hard work Wooyoung had put into it.

„How do you like it?“ Wooyoung asked carefully as Yunho set the glass down onto the counter once again. He sounded a little afraid of how quiet his voice was. All Yunho truly wanted to do was turn Wooyoung around and kiss him senseless. „I was walking all over Seoul to find the best iced americano and ended up finding it in my own kitchen.“ Yunho said with adoration and the second his words registered with Wooyoung, it seemed like he was about to cry. „Really?“ He asked with a soft, almost strangled sob in his voice. But before Yunho could react any other way, he already had his arms full of Wooyoung, kissing him senseless.

„I love you so much you know.“ Wooyoung gasped between kisses. And every kiss spoke of just how much this must mean to him.

  
Later that evening, with their sweat cooling on their skin and Wooyoung still lying limbless and exhausted in his arms, the topic came up once more. „What do you love more. Coffee or me?“ Wooyoung asked, his eyes still closed, but his hand was drawing soft circles against Yunho's naked chest. A constant reminder that he was still very much awake. With a little effort, Yunho lifted his head enough to press a gentle kiss to Wooyoung's forehead.

„You, _always_.“

**Author's Note:**

> ... honestly, this one was a wild ride.
> 
> The biggest thanks to Ella for the cute review chart for Yunhos blog. And also to Juli for helping me out with pictures. This story is mainly dedicated to our trip to Seoul together. I hope I did our coffee shop hopping some justice with this. Let's go again and try out the other coffee shops we missed out on this time.  
> Also a big thanks to Lina, you were the best writing partner, as always!!
> 
> Also special mention to the fic titles that didn't make it:  
> \- Boyfriend to go  
> \- Roast me like a coffee bean  
> \- 2 guys one cup


End file.
